jacobs



Feb. 7, 1956 D. H. JACOBS MOUNTING FOR ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 16, 1952 FIG. I

H- LIVENTOR2 Feb. 7, 1956 D. H. JACOBS 2,734,151

MOUNTING FOR ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT Filed May 16, 1952 2 Sheets-sheaf 2 Ill '03 v [02 INVENTOR:

FIG. 6

United States Patent MOUNTING FOR ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT Donald H. Jacobs, Brookdale, Md.

Application May 16, 1952, Serial No. 288,257

9 Claims. (Cl. 317--101) This invention relates to a mounting for an electronic circuit unit and comprehends a means for mounting such units on a panel or other supporting structure in such a manner that they are readily attachable and detachable so that they may be easily removed from the panel and quickly replaced by another in case of failure of the first unit, or when for any reason it is desired to replace the same.

The circuit unit is held in position on its supporting panel by bolts which, by tightening the nuts on the bolts, hold the unit firmly against the panel and the cooperating contacts carried thereby. Thus it avoids the difiiculty which would be involved by a connection similar to the conventional mounting of a many-pronged vacuum tube in a socket which has openings to receive the prongs. These socket and prong arrangements often fit so tightly that a great deal of force is required to push the prongs fully into the socket openings and seat the tubein position. The present circuit unit is lightly made and to exert so much force upon it, especially by an untrained person or one in a hurry, might easily result in deforming it and running the unit. The supporting panel, also, of the present invention is lightly made, and can be lightly made for economy of material and weight, by using the present method of mounting the circuit unit. If each of the 13 contacts on the present unit were in the form of a prong which must fit snugly into its socket, both the supporting panel and the circuit unit itself would have to be much more strongly built, with a resulting increase in weight and cost.

In the present device the contacts on the removable member are simple pieces of sheet spring material and the contacts on the supporting panel are simple beaded studs. To make the device with prongs and provide the panel with sockets accurately fitted to receive them would involve a great amount of additionallabor and expense, since with simple leaf springs resting flatwise upon the beaded studs neither contact requires to be so accurately centered in position as with prongs and sockets. Also, the amount of metal required, which would increase the weight and the expense, is much reduced.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a drawing of one type of circuit which may be embodied in the invention.

Figs. 2a and 2b are elevational views from the two sides of the device.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2b showing the device mounted on a supporting panel.

Fig. 4 is a view of the device looking at the parts which rest against the supporting panel.

Fig. 5a is a partial end elevation of the device, showing one manner of mounting it on the panel.

Fig. 5 b is a similar view showing another way of mounting the device, and

Fig. 6 is a partial view in perspective with the circuit unit inverted, showing the angle at which the contacts 107 extend from the device.

2,734,151 Patented Feb. 7, 1956 Fig. 1 shows by way of example one type of circuit arrangement that could be mounted in this way. It represents a plate-to-grid-coupled bi-stable multivibrator. In a circuit of this type having two tubes A and B, one stable condition is that in which tube A is conducting and tube B is non-conducting; in the other stable condition tube A is non-conducting and tube B is conducting. The circuit is changed from one condition to the other by application of a signal. In practice, and as shown in the drawings, the operative parts of the two tubes are inclosed in a single envelope for economy of materials and of space, and to facilitate mounting a number of these units on the same panel in a minimum of space.

In Fig. l the numerals 1 to 13 indicate the 13 contacts carried by the unit which engage matching contacts on the mounting panel to cooperate with the elements of the circuit.

Contact 1 insures that any pulse applied to the grids shall not exceed a desired voltage. Contact 2 is the contact which receives a signal for clearing the circuit, i. e., if tube A is conducting, a negative pulse on 2 will reverse the condition of the circuit; tube A will change to its nonconducting condition and tube B become conducting. Contact 3 is the input point for receiving signals which change the circuit from whichever stable condition it was in to its other stable condition. Contact 4 maintains a negative bias on the grids. Contact 5 lights the neon light on the indicating panel to indicate when tube A in this circuit is conducting. Contacts 6 and 9 act as a gate. If tube A is cut oil, a pulse cannot go through gate; if tube A is conducting, pulse can go through gate. The conditions as to tube B and contact 9 are just the reverse of this. If tube A is high, tube B is low, and vice versa.

Contact 7 is the carry connection to the next higher stage. When the circuit is used in a binary digital counter a change in the condition of the circuit from its 1 state to its 0 state necessitates a carry signal to the next higher stage.

Contact 8 is another connection to the next higher stage. Contact 10 maintains a constant voltage on the plates of the tubes. Contact 11 is the ground connection. All the ground connections shown in Fig. 1 go to contact 11. Contact 12 is the connection to heat the filaments, which are connected in parallel to contact 12 and to ground by wiring not shown. Contact 13 is another external connection.

No claim is presented to the circuit herein disclosed and it is for that reason considered unnecessary to describe it more fully.

The system shown in Fig. l is illustrative merely, and many other circuits could be built upon my new and improved mounting disclosed in this application. As shown in Figs. 2a through 5b the elements of the circuit of Fig. l are mounted very compactly on a rectangular plate 101 of insulating sheet material. This plate 101 is secured to the supporting panel by bolts 102 and 103 which in turn are secured to the plate by rivets 104 and 105. Rivets 104 and 105 pass through the flattened heads of the bolts 102 and 103 and also through a strip 106 of similar insulating material extending along one edge of the plate 101 but spaced from it by the thickness of said flattened heads.

Contacts 10'! are secured along the strip and along the adjacent edge of the plate M1 by tubular rivets 108 whose ends extend out from the plate and strip and thus facilitate soldering of the connecting wires thereto. Similar rivets 108 are secured to the plate 101 at the proper positions for soldering wires thereto which project from the various elements of the circuit. These rivets 108 thus act not only as means for receiving soldered connections with and between the circuit elements, but also act to support the circuit elements in positions close against the plate.

Contacts 107 are in the form of angular brackets of springy material having one arm secured flat against the plate 101 or strip 106 and the other arm projecting outwardly at an angle somewhat greater than 90 so that as the nuts on bolts 102 and 103 are tightened drawing the plate against the panel 100 the outstanding arms of the contacts 107 will press firmly against the contacts 109 carried by panel 100. It will be understood that rows of these contact studs 109 will be secured in panel 100 matching the contacts 107 of each plate which it is desired to mount on the panel.

The fact that the spring contact arms 107 incline outwardly toward the panel on which the plate 101 is to be mounted is important to secure good contact between the spring contacts and the beaded stud contacts 109 set in the panel. As the plate 101 is placed in position with the bolts 102 and 103 extending through mating holes in the panel, the spring arms 107 will contact studs 109 before the plate is fully seated in its final position. Then as the nuts on the bolts 102 and 103 are tightened, drawing the plate 101 closer to the panel, the spring arms 107 Will be forced to slide over the beaded studs 109 with con siderable pressure, rubbing through any oxide or other non-conductive coating which may happen to be on the arms or on the studs, thus insuring good electrical contact between these cooperating contact members.

Also secured to the plate and to the strip 106 by the rivets 104 and 105 are the angle brackets 111 whose outstanding arms aid in holding the panel in position extending perpendicularly from the panel 100, as shown in Fig. 5a. These angle brackets are not absolutely essential to the invention, since, if the holes in plate 101 and strip 106 for receiving rivets 104 and 105 are carefully drilled at the proper distance from the edge, then the plate and strip can be mounted with their edges held firmly against the panel by tightening the nuts on bolts 102 and 103, thus securely'holding the circuit mounting in position on the panel, as shown in Fig. 5b.

The tube 112, enclosing the elements of tubes A and B of Fig. 1, is held in position by a clamping ring 113, which is secured to the plate 101 by a tubular rivet 114. The remaining elements of the circuit are held in position by soldering on the projecting rivets 108. In some instances, as seen for instance at the upper corners of the plate 101 in Figs. 2a and 2b, the connecting wires go through the hollow studs 108 and are secured to other wires and to the stud on the other side of the plate.

It will be seen that all the elements of the circuit are held closely against the plate with their length parallel to either side of the plate, thus occupying a minimum of the area of the panel and making it possible to secure a plurality of these units to the panel in fairly close juxtaposition without interfering with each other.

While there has been shown and described by way of example the means above disclosed for carrying out the invention, it is obvious that the basic features thereof could be embodied in many other structures diifering widely from the present disclosure. I, therefore, wish it to be understood that my invention includes all the variations and modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. In a device of the kind described, a plate, elements forming an electronic circuit mounted on said plate, substantially parallel studs carried by said plate and projecting from an edge thereof in a direction substantially parallel to a surface of said plate, means mounted on said studs for securing them to a supporting panel, and resilient contact elements projecting laterally of said plate at both sides thereof and in a direction inclined toward that in which said studs extend.

2. In a device of the class described, a panel having spaced contacts mounted thereon, a plate having the elements of an electronic circuit mounted thereon, studs projecting from said plate substantially in the plane thereof, said panel having openings therein spaced to receive said studs so that the plate may be positioned edgewise against the face of said panel, means carried by the studs engaging the opposite face of said panel and holding said plate in position thereagainst, and spring contacts extending outwardly of said plate substantially parallel to the face of said panel and pressing flatwise against the contacts carried by said panel.

3. A structure as in claim 2 with the addition of a strip secured to said plate along one edge thereof with one edge of said strip and said plate in a common plane, spring contacts extending outwardly from said strip and pressing against contacts carried by said panel, and bracing means extending outwardly substantially at right angles to said plate and strip to engage said panel and aid in holding said plate in position at right angles to said panel.

4. In a device of the kind described, a plate having circuit elements mounted thereon, securing studs projecting from one edge of said plate, a strip secured to said plate along said edge, resiliently yieldable contact elements secured to said plate and said strip along their adjacent edges and projecting outwardly to opposite sides, and means electrically connecting said circuit elements to said contact elements.

5. Means for making electrical connections between a supporting member and a member supported thereby comprising securing means carried by said supported member, outwardly projecting leaf-spring contacts'mounted on said supported member inclined toward said supporting member; an auxiliary strip mounted on said supported member substantially parallel thereto, outwardly projecting leaf-spring contacts mounted on said auxiliary strip inclined toward said supporting member, cooperating contacts mounted on said supporting member and means engaging said securing means and forcing said supported member toward said supporting member and forcing said leaf-spring contacts to slide sidewise over said cooperating contacts.

6. In a device of the kind described, a plate, a panel, fixed contacts mounted on said panel, electronic circuit elements mounted on the sides of said plate, resilient contacts having one end secured flatwise against said plate along one edge thereof with their free ends bent outwardly away from said plate, and means securing said plate edgewise to said panel with said free ends extending outwardly over said panel and pressing flatwise against said fixed contacts. I

7. A device as in claim 6, with the addition of a strip of material secured to said plate substantially parallel thereto with one edge of said strip in substantially the same plane as said one edge of said plate, resilient contacts having one end secured to said strip along said one edge with their free ends bent outwardly in position to press flatwise against fixed contacts on said panel when said plate and panel are secured together as stated and means connecting said circuit elements to said resilient contacts.

8. In a device of the kind described, a substantially flat member of insulating material, electronic circuit elements mounted on said member, flexible resilient contacts secured along an edge of said member and projecting outwardly away from said member at an obtuse angle to the surface thereof, means electrically connecting said circuit elements to each other and to said contacts, and means projecting from said edge of said member substantially parallel to a surface thereof for securing said member edgewise to a supporting panel.

9. In a device of the kind described, a substantially flat plate, flexible resilient contact members secured along an edge of said plate and projecting outwardly away from said plate at an obtuse angle to the surface thereof, securing means projecting from said edge of said plate substantially parallel to a surface thereof, a supporting panel carrying fixed contacts spaced to match with said resilient contacts, said panel having means for receiving said securing means and positioning said plate with said resilient contacts superposed upon said fixed contacts, and means for holding said plate edgewise against said panel at right angles thereto with said resilient contacts pressed against said fixed contacts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,027,743 Merkel Jan. 14, 1936 6 Nielsen a- Jan. 2, 1940 Storch Apr. 27, 1948 Brisch Nov. 15, 1949 Eckert Dec. 18, 1951 Scal June 9, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Apr. 5, 1950 

